Halifax legacy funding OK’d

A multimillion-dollar funding plan to bankroll legacy projects in the Halifax region was approved by regional council Tuesday night.

But the marathon debate on the high-level funding plan revealed a schism between urban and rural councillors over the rollout of megaprojects and how to pay for them.

The projects being considered include police station upgrades, a fire services training facility, a stadium, a library facilities plan, a performing arts centre and a commuter rail and fast-ferry service.

Money for the blockbuster projects could come from capital reserves, land sales and cost-sharing with other levels of government.

The city is also considering taking on up to $100 million in new debt or increasing property taxes by one cent. A penny hike to the general tax rate next year, roughly $25 for a home assessed at $250,000, is also proposed as a way to fund the legacy projects.

But Coun. Barry Dalrymple (Waverley-Fall River-Musquodoboit Valley) said he took issue with raising taxes in his area for downtown projects.

“If we want to be fair and include some rural and suburban projects in this, or pay for rec centres that our citizens are paying for … until there is some fairness, I’m not going to agree,” he told the committee of the whole earlier Tuesday.